The Kill
by LadySpindle
Summary: Three months have passed since Rin came to terms with his feelings for Ai. Yet he hasn't heard from the mobster since. Instead he wallows on a dead-end case to catch a cop-killer who has yet to kill anyone. As the case grows more convoluted, Rin and Ai's paths again intertwine. But opposition pulls on them from all sides, and they may not be able to escape with their lives...
1. The Kill Part 1

**Sequel to "The Chase" **

**Please read it first...or this won't make a bit of sense. **

**This was supposed to be the same length as "The Chase" but...well...it ended up being double the length ;_;**

**Cover art for this (and the other part) is mine. **

**Without further ado, Part One:**

* * *

"Call me 'Deputy Rinrin' one more time and I swear-" Rin lunged after the blonde who had stolen his hat for the umpteenth time, drawing lots of unwanted attention from the busy lunchtime crowd at The Spotted Calf.

Nagisa giggled and ducked under the deputy's flailing arms, bounding over to hide behind Rei. "Look out Rei! He's gonna arrest me!"

Rei peered up from the cup of tea he was meticulously preparing, "He wouldn't, even Rin isn't mean enough to do that." A slight smirk was etched onto his features.

"I hate all of you," Rin grumbled, resigning to the fact he wasn't going to get his hat back anytime soon, half the cafe was still staring at them, and Nagisa would continue with the nicknames until hell froze over.

"Hmm, yes, that explains perfectly why you're always coming back," a warm voice chuckled from the end of the table. Makoto grinned at the trio, holding up a small pad of paper, "anything you lovely gentlemen would like to order for lunch?"

"Black coffee and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich for me," Rin replied.

"Oh oh! I'd like one of those sweet bun things filled with jam and frosting!" Nagisa enthused, "make it two!"

"Sure thing," Makoto stifled a laugh, "anything for you Rei?"

"A refill of tea perhaps," he adjusted his glasses.

"Alright, you three behave yourselves," the tall man swept away, depositing his order to Haru before whisking off to attend to the other tables.

"I will make no such promises," Rin muttered.

"Aww Rin, always so grumpy, we were hoping you'd be feeling better with that case you're working on," Nagisa leaned over the table and cupped a hand over the side of his mouth, "but we know it's hushity hush, top secret." Nagisa winked at him, waiting expectantly.

Rin blinked, "I'm still not allowed to tell, if that's what you're hoping."

"Aww come on! We're your friends! We'd never tell!" Nagisa leaned back, slumping defeated against Rei, cheek smushed into his shoulder.

"Rules are rules, and to be honest I've been on this case for almost two months now without real headway. It's starting to get on my nerves."

"Could your brooding attitude also be attributed to the fact you're no longer chasing that mobster?" Rei asked coyly, stirring his tea with detached interest.

Rin colored, "that has nothing to do with it! Er, I mean, I am annoyed because that little prick is my business."

"Your self-appointed business," Rei intoned.

"Oh will you turn off that super analytical perceptive brain of yours for one minu-"

Makoto reappeared then with their food, sending an all-knowing look between Rin and Rei.

"You know, perhaps you should ask Sousuke to change your current assignment seeing as you're so passionate about chasing the mob."

"Bag it Tachibana."

"That'll be $7.25"

Rin begrudgingly handed him a ten, "you can keep the change if you quit giving me shit about the mobsters."

"I think you meant mobster, singular," Rei corrected.

Makoto slid the bill into his apron pocket and bobbed his head in Rei's direction as if to agree.

He collected what Rei and Nagisa owed him and bustled off again to keep up with the noon rush.

Rin shook his head, "whatever, all of you are right anyways, who am I kidding myself."

"Why not ask to have your case assignment switched?" Rei asked reasonably.

"Already have," Rin waited until Nagisa was distracted by something else to snatch away his police hat, "but Sousuke said no. He claims I was 'too passionate' to handle the case rationally."

Nagisa made a disappointed sound in the face of his defeat, faceplanting dramatically into the table. Rei patted his head,in sympathy. He returned his attention to the deputy, "too passionate, you say? Here I thought a trait like that would be highly valued."

"To be fair, the first case I was distressed over Gou being taken and stuff, but now he thinks I won't be able to treat the case with impartiality. And if the sheriff says so - I can't refuse," Rin sighed deeply, slugging down his coffee.

"I wish the best of luck to you, Deputy Matsuoka," Rei nodded.

"Yeah! You'll crack this case! Ain't no case that can't be cracked by the magnanimous Deputy Rinrin!" Nagisa cheered as Rin rose to his feet to leave.

"Do you even know what magnanimous means?" He grumbled, straightening his hat, "and did I hear you say 'Rinrin' again?" the deputy glowered down at the blonde who was doing everything in his power to hide under Rei's arm.

He didn't really care enough to make a scene, "text me next time you guys want to have lunch. This was fun." Rin made another stop at the counter to say his farewells to Haru and Makoto. Maybe someday he'd convince them to actually go to a restaurant they didn't own so they could have a real meal together. The whole crew, Rin thought with a vague smile, venturing out into the bright noon sunshine.

It contrasted horribly with the dark mood that had been clinging to him for the past…

...well he'd lost track of how long it had been.

Now his friends had started to notice, even after all the efforts he'd been through to keep it compartmentalized.

The "it" being the case. It was always the case.

Rin stared up at the burning sun for a couple of seconds before his eyes began to water.

Sousuke was hoping it would give Rin a challenge; a case too difficult for the average officer but perfect for pushing the limits of the deputy. A case the sheriff couldn't take on himself.

Because the case was to catch a cop-killer.

* * *

He trudged back to the station in a moody haze, ignoring the sun, ignoring the happy passers by, ignoring his surroundings.

Ignoring the pair of arms that shot out from an alleyway, grabbing Rin around the waist roughly, the other clamping hard over his mouth.

The deputy's muffled yell sounded only into the palm of his attacker, and while his thoughts flew instantly to Nitori, this assailant was too tall, with a physical strength that out matched the tiny mob boss.

Once within the crisscrossing shadows of the alley, the attacker whirled Rin around and shoved him away. Rin stumbled, unable to regain his balance before he was again grabbed by the assailant and slammed against the side of the alley.

"Do I have your attention now?" A vaguely familiar voice demanded.

Rin blinked rapidly, still trying to make sense of his environment.

"Answer me!" The attacker whined.

"Momotarou?" The Deputy made a face as he took in the second in command mobster, "what are you doing?"

"I was gonna ask you the same. And only I get to ask the question bub!" He shook Rin by the collar for emphasis. "What are you doing with Nitori?"

Rin misinterpreted the question and colored deeply, "Er, um, nothing-"

"Oh my god I did not mean it- gross!" Momo too colored, vivid as his flaming hair, "I mean!" He put on a serious air, "What the hell are you doing screwing around with - shit that was worse." Momo sucked in a few breaths to steady himself, "what are you doing to Nitori's head?"

"What am I doing to his head?" Rin asked incredulously.

"That was the question stupid-head. ANSWER IT!"

"Nothing at all! Out of the two of us, he's the manipulative one."

"He talks about you...not a lot...but you can just see the way his face changes," Momo spat, "like he's talking about a lover."

"It is nothing of the sort," Rin stated shortly.

"Oh yeah? Well you seem to have the boss convinced you're something wonderful, and to be honest, I'm not buying it. What does he see in a surly, grouchy, sarcastic-ass cop?" Momo's eyes narrowed.

"I don't understand, my relationship to your boss is not like you're making it out to be!" Rin glared at Momo who stood nearly eye level with the redhead, "All I want is to see that bastard behind bars. I'll see you're put there too for good measure."

"You keep saying that, pretending not to care, but I don't believe you. You lack conviction Deputy. Nitori and I have been together since the beginning, we've been through it ALL. And if you think I'm going to stand out of the way for some suck ass - dammit - cop...you can kiss your shiny little badge goodbye. And whatever sick obsession you have with Nitori, you'll have to go through me and the rest of the mob to get to him."

"Why not end me now?" Rin hissed, considering only briefly the dangers of addressing this particular course of action.

"Consider this your warning, and don't ever let me catch you dicking around the boss's turf again, capiche?'

Rin raised an eyebrow at his unusual wording.

"God dammit I did it again!" Momo yelled, tossing Rin into a pile of crates with excessive force. The mobster scampered away as Rin came to his senses, extricating himself from the heap of splintered crates.

Despite the orange-haired mobster's warning, Nitori was still Rin's to take. Nothing was going to change that.

* * *

Rin paused to check his reflection in the front window of the station before entering. Other than a couple of minor scratches, he looked just fine and hopefully anything 'amiss' would be ignored. He snuck over to his desk, almost making it before Sousuke noticed.

"Oi, Rin, Enjoy your lunch?" The sheriff called, sauntering over to his desk.

"Yeah, it was good," Rin pulled out his coffee mug out of habit, walking to the coffee machine mechanically.

The sheriff followed him, clapping Rin on the shoulder in a good-natured manner. "I hate to ask about the case but…" He tried to make eye contact with Rin.

Rin remained stubbornly focused upon filling his mug, "dead ends galore." He didn't mean to be so short with Sousuke, most of his foul mood emanated from Momotarou's assault. But he did hold a significant amount of residual anger towards his partner, for ignoring his requests to pursue Nitori and for placing him on this crummy case. Sousuke must have noticed his inquiet and was trying to make amends. Rin wasn't willing to forgive him yet. When everything was well, they were thick as thieves, the best of friends anyone could ask for...but then something would happen, and something always happened to cause strain in their relationship. Why this pressure? Why this constant tension? Weighing down on the two of them until it became suffocating. Until someone had to bend and break. It shouldn't be that way.

"I'm sure you'll make some headway," He squeezed Rin's shoulder.

Rin blew off his coffee, "lets hope." He wasn't convinced.

"What's this?" Sousuke reached forward suddenly, withdrawing a splinter of wood entangled in Rin's hair.

The deputy jumped, startled by both Sousuke's forwardness, and the explanation he would inevitably have to give.

He inspected the sliver of wood curiously before flicking it away.

"Er…" Rin looked away.

"Care to explain?" Sousuke quirked an eyebrow.

"I um, fell on the way back from here," Rin said lamely, taking a swig of coffee to cover his fib.

"At a playground?" Sousuke dropped the hand that had been resting on Rin's shoulder. "That was a fresh splinter, broken most likely by you impacting it. Do you have something to tell me?"

"Nothing to report, partner," Rin muttered into his coffee, halted when Sousuke jerked the cup from his hand.

"Tell me the truth." His eyes were like steel.

"Not here," Rin hissed, conceding.

"Fine. My office. Now." Sousuke stalked off to his underused private office, preferring to have a desk out with the rest of the force instead of holing himself away.

Now the sheriff was in a mood. The station fell into an uncomfortable, hardworking silence. It was one thing when the hot-headed deputy was flying off the handle, but now both sheriff and deputy had fallen into brooding. Everyone went out of their way to keep a low profile.

Sousuke slammed the door behind him and gestured for Rin to take a seat. Rin declined, standing with his arms crossed. He started speaking before the dark-haired man could cajole him again.

"On my way back to the station, I was jumped by Momotarou-"

"Are you hurt?" Sousuke again grasped Rin by the shoulders, shaking him gently as though doing so would cause his injuries to sift to the surface.

"I'm fine," he insisted, "Momo just roughed me up a little bit...and tossed me into some wooden crates."

"What prompted the attack?" Sousuke asked fiercely, eyes searching over Rin to ensure the redhead wasn't leaving anything out.

"Apparently he takes issue with my personal vendetta against his boss," Rin shrugged, "in all honesty I'm not surprised."

"But you haven't been on that case for months, why the sudden aggression?" The sheriff turned heel and began pacing.

"No idea," that was a half-lie, Rin had a hunch, but it wasn't something he was about to share with his best friend and boss.

"If you think it might be in anyway linked to the cop killer, be careful," Sousuke's attention was diverted as the phone conveniently rang.

He made disgruntled noise and began reaching for it, pausing long enough to remind Rin, "eh, Rin, remember it's your turn to look after Ace, our newest police dog."

"What? Jeez Sousuke," Rin's shoulders sagged, "get one of the interns to do it!"

Sousuke answered the incessant phone and shook his head at Rin, motioning towards his ear.

Rin groaned, the bastard probably planned that. With no other choice but to obey, Rin trudged back to the kennel where the five resident hounds were kept. Off to the side in a smaller kennel of his own, the one year old Ace hopped to his feet, still a tangle of gangly legs and too-big paws. He barked once, tongue lolling, tail beating.

"Yeah whatever I'm happy to see you too," Rin grumbled, taking a leash from the line of carefully organized hooks. He unlocked the kennel and clipped the rambunctious dog onto the leash before he could scamper away to sniff and sniff and sniff everything in the station again.

"Might as well clock out for the day," he shrugged, running a hand through his already messed up hair, inadvertently snapping the hair tie that held the back in a ponytail.

"Ace, heel," he snapped, keeping the german shepherd on a short leash as he wove his way back to Sousuke's office to let the sheriff know he was leaving.

He found Sousuke drumming his fingers pensively on his desk, eyes half lidded and staring off in the distance.

"I'm heading out for the day," Rin announced without preamble, expecting to be shushed.

Sousuke nodded, not ceasing his drumming fingers.

"You on hold?" Rin guessed.

"Yeah, the Samezuka Tax Syndicate's CEO - Seijuro something or another - had some security questions." Sousuke rubbed his temples, of the many things being sheriff entailed, making phone calls was not his favorite.

"Later, then," Rin gave him a brisk nod before tugging Ace away from the trashcan he was nosing through.

With the hyperactive german shepherd bounding around his feet, Rin again felt the stark contrast of his brooding mood against the rest of the oblivious world. It was lonely, so impossibly lonely.

Ace paused mid-frolic, seeming to detect Rin's gloom. The dog whined softly and sat down in front of Rin, tail thumping against the sidewalk.

Rin reached down and scratched him behind the ears, "it's not you buddy, it's me...it's me…" He stared up at the sky, wishing it could be any color but blue.

* * *

By nightfall, Rin remembered he couldn't keep dogs at his apartment, meaning he'd have to return Ace to his kennel. As the deputy meandered through the lower part of town, he found his thoughts drifting again.

Drifting until Ace bounced off the ground, tail wagging, and broke into a sprint. The force of his lunge jerked the leash from Rin's grasp, leaving the spaced-out deputy with the image of an exuberant dog barreling away down an alley.

"Get back here!" Rin bellowed, "ACE!"

He wound through the alleys, calling for that stupid dog until he was hoarse. Defeated, Rin found a graffitied city bench and took a seat, running an anxious hand through his hair repeatedly as he contemplated how he would break losing their newest dog to Sousuke.

A couple minutes later, Rin heard a scuffling noise behind him. He craned his head to see, coming face to face with a chagrined Ace who was currently emptying the contents of his bladder onto the very bench Rin sat upon.

"Tch, where have you been?" He asked, more relieved than angry.

Ace barked, rearing up on his hind legs, paws hooking onto Rin's belt.

"Oh you think a doggie hug is going to make up for you running away?" Rin reached for the leash, halted when he noticed a piece of paper tied to the dog's collar.

Perplexed, he withdrew the tiny slip and unrolled it.

_Meet me at the diner where those grainy pictures in my file were taken. Go to the bench out back. I'll be waiting for you at 9. Don't be late._

_-A_

Despite all the rational parts of Rin's brain that told him not to listen to the sketchy message tied to Ace's collar, there was no way he wouldn't be following those instructions to the T. "A" had to stand for Ai, and the mobster might have some information or...

Rin wanted to see him. That was really what the note boiled down to. It had been three months since he'd seen the blue-eyed mobster, no contact, nothing. He had been hiding his tracks arguably better than before. The promise of seeing Ai had become something of a poison in Rin's veins since he'd found the note, breaking him down, numbing him to the point when 8:30 rolled around, there was no question in his mind about his course of action.

* * *

The singular streetlamp behind the crummy old diner flickered unevenly. It's weak fluorescent glow setting the graffitied walls of the alleyway aglow in staccato flashes.

Rin admittedly did have reservations about meeting the mobster here, in the middle of gang territory at night. He had changed out of his uniform into something more practical, but being a lone civilian didn't diminish his chances of getting mugged.

He found a bench, equally caked with crude graffiti designs, and sat down, shadowed by the alleyway.

Minutes later, a dark figure silhouetted against the light, appeared at the end of the alley. As he approached, Rin recognized the familiar trench coat and height of Ai.

He sat wordlessly on the other side of the bench, just catching the angled edge of the light.

"You came," he said, eyes trained forward, not so much as glancing at Rin.

The redhead knew why the mob boss was acting so detached: they needed to look like two unrelated parties on that bench. If anyone noticed they were in cahoots, it could jeopardize both their safety and the integrity of the mission.

"Yeah…" Rin managed, hating how lame the first thing he said to Ai sounded.

"I suppose you're wondering why I called you here," he leaned forward slightly, fedora brim almost brushing the high collar of his coat.

"Should we move somewhere more private? Doesn't the diner have surveillance."

"No, the cameras are just there to make you think that. The diner is run by the mob - they deal in drugs mostly. Food's pretty good if you don't mind rosemary on your fries," Ai's tone held a hint of humor.

"I know it's not relevant, but how did you get Ace to come to you?" Rin sneaked a glance at Ai before returning to a state of ambivalence.

"Dog whistle. And I tend to have a way with animals. Dogs especially. It's a good thing you had the pooch with you...I wasn't sure how I'd slip the note to you otherwise."

"Were you...watching me?" Rin asked, voice hushed.

"Just as soon as you left the station. I waited all afternoon for an opportunity to contact you because…." He let out a low sigh, "I know the case you're working on. And I wish you weren't."

"You know about the cop-k-"

"Sh, yes, of course I do," Nitori's voice became pained, "he was one of mine. Deserted a few months ago. He was out for blood. I'm not sure why he hasn't struck yet...unless he's planning on something big. In which case...every officer should be on alert."

"What do you know about him?"

"Name: Shouta Nakagawa. Average mobster, lacks subtlety…" he withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket, "this is all I have on him."

Nitori slid the paper across the bench. Rin reached out to take it, fingertips momentarily brushing against Nitori's, sending a shock of electricity shooting through his body. Both jolted their hands apart.

"If he lacks subtlety, why no attacks? It doesn't add up," Rin muttered, tucking the paper deep into his pocket.

"I know. Whatever you do deputy, be careful," Nitori stood, hands buried in his pockets. Finally he looked at Rin. The deputy smiled as he took in the mobster's comfortingly familiar features.

"I will," he promised. This encounter felt so different from the last. When before their meeting had be intertwined with fire and passion, this one was built upon mutual restraint. Cold as ice.

"It was nice seeing you, Rin," Nitori murmured, turning his head away as he felt heat rise to his cheeks.

Rin's ears were burning as he replied, "Yeah, you too, Ai." He blinked and the mob boss was gone.

Left alone beneath the flickering street lamp, Rin made haste to return to his apartment. For the first time in weeks, he would sleep well, kept awake only by the promise of his first real break-through residing in his pocket.

* * *

"Your request for a permit to manhunt Mr. Nakagawa has been denied," an elderly receptionist lady intoned, much more interested in the etsy page she was scrolling through than the sheriff's request.

It had been a week since Rin came forward with breakthrough evidence that reignited the cold-case he had been assigned. Most of the station had gotten involved, action pending only the permit to scour the city for the prime suspect…

...which had been denied again.

"Care to explain why you are hindering the law?" Sousuke demanded, using the tone he reserved for when he was about to fly off the handle.

"If there had been an actual spree of murders, by all means. However, this man you claim is a murderer hasn't made a peep for months. I told you the first time Mr. Yamazaki, we're not going to let you hunt down a man who is more than likely innocent."

"So you're saying we have to wait until someone dies before we can do anything?" Sousuke leaned over the desk, using his imposing stature to reinforce the magnitude of his displeasure.

"I'm telling you we will not allow a man hunt based off of a hunch!" The woman closed etsy and adjusted her glasses in a manner that served only to make Sousuke more pissed.

"Actually it was an anonymous tip," Rin, who had been hanging back, poised to restrain Sousuke if necessary, said offhandedly.

"In either case, your request is denied. Good day Sheriff, Deputy," she reopened etsy and proceeded to scroll.

Rin tapped Sousuke's shoulder, shaking his head sadly at the tall man who practically seethed as they exited the city hall.

"How are we going to catch this bastard if those idiots don't get their heads out of their asses?" Sousuke fumed once inside the squad car.

Rin tried to stay rational, though he felt a similar amount of anger, "we'll think of something."

Back at the station, Rin noticed someone had left him a text.

_Guess who_ it read.

Rin rolled his eyes and excused himself, taking a walk to the nearest park before answering.

_What Ai. And texting me at work, really?_

_You're not getting anywhere with Nakagawa within the city's ordinance?_

_Yeah...how did you know that? And why do you have my number._

_Gou's phone. And I have eyes everywhere._

_What do you really want._

_All I'm saying is hear me out. If you can't catch the baddie lawfully, perhaps you need to take a different angle. I'm offering myself and my gang as help._

_Wait what are you kidding me_

_No I'm not. Think about it. Mobsters taking out rival mobsters, you get to help, case closed._

_Won't that incite some kind of gang war?_

_Eh probs. But i'm sick of that ass rutting around on my turf._

_I'll think about it._

_Sheriff Grumpy Pants won't like it._

_I know. He'll either shoot it down or want to come along._

_Not sure which I dislike more…_

_Gtg._

Rin noticed five minutes had passed, meaning any moment he would be missed. He silenced his phone and hustled back to the station, still weighing his determination to finish the case against his misgivings about breaking the law.

* * *

"Work with the mob?"

"Just...hear me out, please," Rin held up his hands.

"You have a ringer?" Sousuke asked, taking an uneasy seat at his desk.

"The one who submitted the anonymous tip," he admitted, on edge to admit who gave him the tip.

"Then...it will have to be just you and me," Sousuke rubbed his temples.

"Both of us? I thought it would just be-"

"Rin I can't allow you to go there alone, and I don't trust anyone but you to keep this whole incursion a secret. We'll be heading into the proverbial lion's den but...if there's a chance to eliminate the killer...I wouldn't want to go into this with anyone else by my side," Sousuke trailed off, hands folded pensively.

"Is that...a yes?" Rin offered.

"When is the soonest we can do this?"

"Three days," Rin affirmed.

"Ready yourself," the sheriff nodded, "we'll take him down."

* * *

Despite Rin's misgivings about how Sousuke was bound to react upon seeing that his so called "ringer" was the mob boss himself, when the time arrived for the meet up, he couldn't have been more excited. Though most of that energy revolved around being relieved of the case.

They met again behind the old diner.

Nitori, Momo, and a small crew were waiting, dressed in sinister trenches despite the mild weather.

"Welcome coppers," the mob boss announced as Rin and Sousuke approached, "I know we've had our differences in the past, but for today, we shall treat you as one of our own."

"And we expect you to do the same for us," Momo added.

Rin nodded slowly. Sousuke was more recalcitrant to do so, "what do you want from us out of this deal?"

"Immunity," Nitori's eyes glowed.

"Until we arrest you on a different occasion," the sheriff's eyes narrowed.

"Of course, of course. Mutual immunity for the day, then we can get back to chasing one another to hell and back. Momo, take them to the back of the car, we're wasting time."

The orange-haired mobster sent Rin a pointedly irritated look as he shoved the deputy with excessive force into the back of a nondescript SUV. He treated Sousuke with a mildly more polite manner.

Momo took the wheel with Nitori in shot-gun as the mob moved out, caravan of two winding deeper and deeper into the cesspool of gang territory that strung about the south side of Iwatobi City.

Once they arrived, Nitori ordered the group to gather behind the head SUV.

"Okay, here's the plan, Momo, tie the officers up and put bags over their heads."

"What?" Rin and Sousuke simultaneously yelled.

"We've gotten permission to meet Mr. Nakagawa, I figured he would be more helpful if we delivered him two officers," Nitori shrugged, "we'll let him think that. Then when the moment presents itself, you two will untie yourselves and jump them with the rest of us. And while that's happening, Momo or I will shoot down the killer, that way neither of you coppers have to have his blood on your hands, in case this little tea party makes public news. Which it won't. Capiche?"

Sousuke sent Rin a disgruntled stare before black bags were placed over their heads. Their hands were loosely tied with zip-ties. Perforations had been made in the heavy plastic that would allow them to tear free at any time.

After a series of indiscernible steps and a flight of stairs, the bags were removed, and the officers were met with the harsh fluorescent light of many naked bulbs wired into the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse.

Nakagawa lounged in a moth bitten loveseat, his equivalent to a throne, ringed by his fellow mobsters.

"Well hasn't it been awhile? And what as the elusive Aiichiro Nitori brought me?" he asked, slanted eyes taking in the sheriff and deputy badges. "how did you manage to catch both?"

Sousuke made a disgruntled noise through his teeth while Rin stared unblinkingly at his target.

"I have my ways," Nitori lilted, "now the reward, as discussed."

"Hold on a moment, I find it a bit suspicious that you bring two top ranking police officers to my hideout. You promised two policemen, not these high profile targets. Now leave before I change my mind about letting you into my territory unscathed." He waved a hand as if to dismiss them.

"And here you're missing the chance of a lifetime, crossing out two of Iwatobi's finest in one fell swoop. I could have taken them back to my headquarters and done away with them myself, but instead brought them here as a gift," Nitori sighed, closing those huge blue eyes of his. He knew what effect he could have on people, and did he ever know how to use it.

Nakagawa was unimpressed, "go now."

"I tried to be nice," Nitori sighed, hands subconsciously reaching inside his trench coat.

"Is this a joke?" Nakagawa laughed, "we disarmed all of you."

"But you didn't disarm them," Nitori shrugged in the direction of Rin and Sousuke who lept into action instantly.

They tore free of their bonds, sidearms out.

"This was supposed to be an unarmed truce!" Nakagawa yelled.

"I don't operate like that, especially not with the likes of you, traitor."

Sousuke aimed to fire on Nakagawa when one of his henchmen dove into the sheriff, knocking him aside before he could fire. The gun clattered from his hands, lost in the scrum exploding on the warehouse floor.

Rin tazed one mobster, knicking another before he too was tackled. The fist fight that ensued was bereft with chaos, often unclear of who was fighting for whom.

"Grab the guns!" One of Nakagawa's goons called above the din.

Momo heard the goon, eyes landing at last on Sousuke's dropped firearm. The flame-haired mobster dove for it, aiming for Nakagawa just as one of the goons was tossing him a semi-automatic. He fired three shots from where he lay, each one pegging the cop-killer in the chest.

All attention shifted to Nakagawa, draped dead across his chair.

"Everyone. Cars. Now!" Nitori ordered, desperately hoping to evacuate before this turned into a firefight.

Momo and the others wasted no time breaking for the door, reclaiming their firearms as they did.

Rin headbutted the thug he battled, rendering him unconscious. He stumbled around, head reeling, to run after the others. Sousuke pounded after him, halted abruptly when a seemingly unconscious thug grabbed his ankle. He slammed into the floor, winded. Rin halted mid-stride to help him when another assailant swung a broken shaft of wood into his head. The deputy collapsed beside Sousuke as the assailant knocked him unconscious as well.

In the final moments before Rin lost consciousness, he could see Ai charging at him, calling after him in a warbled, muffled voice. He seemed to move in slow motion, halted by two other thugs who pinned him down.

"Let them go," Nitori hissed.

"Nah ah, I can't do that," the stick-wielding assailant laughed.

One of the thugs restraining Nitori produced Rin's taser, dry tazing the mob boss. He slumped to the ground, eyes unfocused.

"Good, good, keep them alive." The same laugh resounded again.

Nitori glared up at him through blurring eyes.

"Hello Aiichiro, we have some catching up to do…"

* * *

**Any guesses who the _real _villain is? **


	2. The Kill Part 2

***Author Note* So I unwittingly put references to the Sourin MOOK into this second part (before actually reading the thing). I wasn't trying to copy it or anything, all the related plot exists for dramatic effect. And I don't ship Sourin. I just can't. **

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Nitori awoke on the second level of the warehouse. He was unbound, two armed thugs at his sides, each carrying a firearm that would do a lot more than just sting as the taser had.

"Awake yet?" The same voice from before mocked.

It was so familiar.

A hand roughly jerked Nitori's chin upward, forcing him face to face with a man dressed stylishly in a suit. Pale pink hair and startling purple eyes.

"Remember me?"

"Kisumi," Nitori spat, "you-"

"Are the real driving force behind Nakagawa? I'm flattered you noticed," he smiled unkindly.

"What is this about?" Nitori snapped.

"That's for me to know, and you to go mad trying to figure out."

"Where are the officers?" He deadpanned, thoughts on Rin and Rin only.

"I can't tell you that."

"Perhaps if you had less of an audience you could," Nitori proposed. He moved like lightning, withdrawing two tiny darts hidden under the lapels of his trench coat.

Before the guards could react, he flung the darts. They lodged in patches of exposed skin, sticking deep.

Their effect was instantaneous.

Kisumi backed away, "what did you do to them?"

"They're just tranq darts, they'll wake up eventually." The mob boss rolled up his sleeves, "Now tell me where you hid the redhead, or shall I use the last one on you?"

Kisumi's eyes went wide, "they're in the abandoned channel below, by the watermain."

"Good, now was that so hard?" Nitori hissed. He marched forward, preparing to give this man a proper beating.

"I wouldn't waste time on me, if I were you!" He squeaked.

"Why not?"

Kisumi leaned close to whisper in Nitori's ear.

His eyes grew wide and he stumbled backwards.

"Those are my terms. Now chase your precious little officers. Before it's too late."

* * *

Rin snapped awake, red eyes searching wildly for a familiar sight, anything that might allude to his position. He vaguely remembered the cop killer being shot down, getting knocked unconscious and then…

"Rin!" Sousuke's voice called to him.

"Hmm?" He moved to stand, feeling no ill effects of being unconscious when…

...his arms snagged before he could reach a squatting position. Confused, Rin traced the length of his arms, noticing that his hands had been cuffed in front of him with his own handcuffs, chained to a heavy metal pipe interwoven into the…

Where was he?

"Where…?" He peered over at Sousuke, chained similarly with his arms behind his back.

"I don't know, but it's some kind of abandoned channel," the dark-haired man peered up, taking in the tall walls consisting of more pipework and metal plates.

"Why put us here? I thought for sure they would kill us-"

Sousuke's head sagged, aqua eyes squeezing shut, "they are...they're just waiting for-" he jerked his head to the side, guiding Rin's eyes to a massive tank of water, old, rusting, and held together solely by a mishmash levi. They could hear water churning inside of it, gurgling, roaring to be let free. Rin exhaled sharply, giving an experimental tug to his cuffs, knowing it was futile.

"It's going to break any time, isn't it?" Rin asked, head hanging.

Sousuke's eyes hadn't left the buckling levi, water churning against its metal constraints, "yeah."

Rin's eyes traced the towering walls on either side of him. Handcuffed to the bottom, there was no way they would be able to get air once the water main broke.

They were going to drown and it would look like an accident.

Sousuke shifted closer to Rin, as far as the cuffs would allow and Rin subconsciously mirrored him.

"Never thought it would end like this," he said wistfully.

"Yeah...we always thought we'd be solving crime until we were old men," Rin sniffed.

"Partners to the bitter end," Sousuke whispered, "Rin, don't cry-"

"I'm not-" The deputy lied, moisture welling in his eyes.

"Look at me, RIn," behind them, the tank swelled bigger, bolts holding it together groaning in their sockets, "I want you to be the last thing I see-"

Rin obeyed as hissing spurts of water began shooting out of the tank.

Above, a flurry of machine gunfire reverberated in the alley, accompanied by a cry and then a scuffling of footsteps.

"Hey!" A voice called from above, "when you're trapped you're supposed to call for help, not wait until I've beaten the information out of someone to find out!"

Nitori's silver head appeared, and then the rest of the mobster as he swung into the channel.

"Get out of here!" Rin snapped, looking wildly between Nitori and the failing levi.

"Not a chance, i'm breaking both of you out," he scrambled over the uneven pipes to where Rin was chained.

"There's no time-" he protested.

"Where are the keys?" Nitori demanded.

"In my back pocket-" Rin jumped when Nitori reached behind him to snatch the keys without so much as a warning.

"You talk too much Rin," the mobster muttered, unlocking one side of the cuffs. He turned to go to Sousuke, but froze when he saw the buckling levi.

"We need to go now, " he breathed.

"Not without Sousuke," Rin argued, snatching the keys from Nitori's sweating hand.

The mobster nodded, pulling himself up out of the channel, reaching his hands out to help pull the other policemen up.

"Rin, take my hand in case the levi breaks before-"

As he spoke, the screeching metal gave, outpouring a deluge of churning water and debris. Nitori lunged for Rin. He caught the policeman by the arm, crying out as the force of the waves threatened to drag him in. Rin found his footing on the tangle of pipes, reaching up to cling to Nitori as the initial force of the levi breaking ebbed.

Below the waves, the abrupt shock of the water almost knocked Sousuke breathless. It surged forward, pulling him with it until the handcuffs halted his motion, jerking him back sharply. He hissed as the force yanked his bad shoulder back at an awkward angle. Then the water's force ebbed and he sank to the bottom.

More gunfire sounded through the adjoining alleyways. Nitori dragged Rin the rest of the way out of the water.

"Sousuke!" He gasped, staring in horror at the flooded channel.

"Forget him! We need to get out of here now," Nitori reiterated, eyes trained on the approaching firefight.

"I'm not leaving without Sousuke," Rin crossed his arms stubbornly, "hold them back for a minute, I can unchain him."

Nitiori made a displeased noise, "I'll give you two." He marched up the alleyway, pulling a grenade from his pocket as he did. He tore the pin out with his teeth and tossed the explosive down the alley.

"That'll hold them," he muttered, crouching on the other side of the building, hands clamped over his ears.

In the meantime, Rin had already dove under again, swinging down to where Sousuke was chained.

Keys clenched tightly in his fist, Rin swam behind him, grabbing ahold of the pipe. He took hold of the handcuffs, fumbling to fit the key into the lock. Clumsy underwater, Rin gritted his teeth, a trail of frustrated bubbles streaming from his nose. Just as his lungs began crying for air, Rin got the key into the lock.

As he went to turn it, his hand fumbled, knocking the keys loose. They sank with a muted clatter to the bottom of the channel, slipping and falling between the tangled pipes.

Rin snarled in frustration, groping around for the keys until he had to resurface for air. His head broke the surface, gasping in deep, ragged breaths. He had dropped the bloody keys. Without them...

Sousuke had keys.

He had been under longer than Rin, it wouldn't be long before the sheriff would start drowning.

Rin pulled as much air into his lungs as he could manage, an idea forming in his head. He dove under again, swimming up to Sousuke. The sheriff's eyes were drooping closed, bubbles falling slowly out of his mouth. Rin swam as close as he could, pressing a finger to Sousuke's lips. He leaned in, forcing the sheriff's mouth open to breathe as much of the air in his lungs he could spare.

Sousuke's eyes flew wide, he gasped the moment Rin pulled away.

Idiot! Rin fumed, you're wasting your air! He reached into one of Sousuke's breast pockets, withdrawing his own set of keys he always kept. This time, Rin didn't falter. The lack of oxygen in his lungs seemed to make the deputy's determination more acute as he fought with the lock again.

Just as black dots began swimming in front of his eyes, the lock popped free. Rin grabbed Sousuke by the collar, kicking off the bottom and practically flinging the sheriff to the surface.

They resurfaced almost simultaneously, gasping and choking. They clung to the side of the channel as though it were the only thing on earth that kept them grounded.

Nitori reappeared, kneeling before them, "I thought you weren't going to make it." The comment was directed mostly at RIn, but they didn't need to know that.

He helped pull Rin out of the water before the two of them pitched in to drag Sousuke onto land.

"I found a place we can lay low for a bit," Nitori announced. "Momo's finding a getaway car. We'll keep a low profile until you two have caught your breath, okay?"

The policemen nodded, following Nitori to the back of a deserted sawdust mill.

"Try to dry off as much as you can, don't want to leave a trail of water to follow," he ordered, voice barely above a whisper. The mob boss stood on a huge sack of sawdust, keeping watch out of a windowless frame.

Sousuke sank to his knees, shaking out his waterlogged hair. Rin too took a seat, ignoring the layer of sawdust that would be accumulating on his rear.

"You saved me," Sousuke murmured.

"Did you think I'd do anything otherwise? I wouldn't let you die so easily," Rin permitted a smile, despite the situation. He tilted his head back, "besides, without you, I'd have to step up and be sheriff, and you know how much I hate responsibility."

Sousuke chuckled, moving his right shoulder experimentally. Mid motion, he winced.

"What happened to your shoulder?"

"When the water main broke, the force of the water strained it. I'll be fine."

Rin nodded, concern showing on his face. He glanced back at Nitori, still diligently keeping watch. If the mobster could hear them, he didn't show it.

In truth, Nitori had heard every word, and while he wouldn't outwardly show his disgust, it crept through his veins like ice.

"Momo just gave the signal, we need to get going." He hopped down from the sack of sawdust. "here's the plan, we'll leave in increments of five minutes, that way we'll be less noticeable and it'll shake the remaining mobsters off our tail, okay?"

The policemen nodded.

"Rin will go first, then me, then the sheriff."

"Wait, why are you going before me?" Sousuke demanded, "how do I know you won't doublecross Rin and drive off with Mikoshiba?"

"And how would I be guaranteed you and Rin wouldn't overpower Momo and leave us stranded?" Nitori snapped, "in a situation like this, it doesn't matter that we have a significant lack of trust. If you all want to get out of here alive, you'll follow my plan. Police officer, mobster, then police officer. Five minute increments." The silver-haired mobster's patience had long since run thin.

"Why should we trust your plan anyways," Sousuke demanded.

"Between the two of us, who is a seasoned mobster that does this sort of thing for a living, and who is the pompous cop who knows nothing more than how to kick in doors and shout orders?" Nitori countered.

"Both of you keep it down!" Rin hissed, keeping a wary eye trained to the alleyway, "we're going to follow A-Mr. Nitori's instructions."

The mobster and sheriff quit glaring at one another enough to nod in agreement.

"Rin, you go first. Momo left a car running at the corner of 5th. Wait in the car for the rest of us. We'll head to the diner to shake them off our tail."

The redhead nodded at Nitori, making eye contact before slipping out of the safe house. They watched until Rin was out of sight

Nitori wondered how long after Rin left would the Sheriff confront him.

"Now that he's gone-" Sousuke turned on Nitori, grabbing him by the collar. "I have few words for the likes of you. Stay out of Rin's way, don't ever try to get involved with him again."

Evidently, not long at all.

"It was only a matter of time before we butted heads, wasn't it, Yamazaki," Nitori spat.

"Who do you think you are? Interfering with Rin's path? He has the potential to be the finest deputy the city has ever seen! I refuse to stand by and let his future be disrupted because of some half-baked mobster," Sousuke glared down at Nitori.

"And who are you to decide what Rin wants in his life? He's his own person, and you can't control what he wants, as much as you'd like to," His eyes narrowed, "especially if it means him choosing to chase me over your plan."

"After today, you'll be locked so deep in prison, soon you'll be nothing but a memory. Everyone will move onto bigger and better things while you rot."

Nitori's expression went utterly cold, eyes icy daggers.

"I want you to know Mr. Yamazaki, this isn't personal," Nitori stabbed a tiny needle-like dart into the sheriff's forearm. His grip instantly went lax, aqua eyes flying wide as he collapsed to his knees. The sleep-serum worked in seconds, leaving Sousuke unconscious at Nitori's feet.

"Though I'd rather like it to be," He grunted, lifting the man's feet and proceeding to drag him out of the safe house.

* * *

Rin reached the allotted point for the escape car, panting. The redhead peered around the corner, expecting to see Momo's vibrant shock of hair in the driver seat of the getaway car.

He found the car, but no Momo.

Feeling mildly apprehensive, Rin climbed into the car, thoroughly searching the interior before he got too cozy. Then he waited.

Less than ten minutes later, Nitori appeared, out of breath as well.

"Ai, you made it," Rin greeted as the silver-haired mobster entered the car.

"Where' s Momo?" He asked.

"Dunno, he wasn't here when I arrived."

"Probably saw something and bailed, you know how panicky he can get...er, well...I suppose not. Seeing as you're not a mobster, that is." Nitori rambled.

"Is something wrong?" Rin peered at him through the rearview window.

"I...I'll just feel a lot better when we're far away from here," he sank deeper into his seat, collar of his coat bunching up around his face, concealing it.

Another five minutes passed. Then ten. Then fifteen. And Sousuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?" Rin growled, wringing out his hands repeatedly.

"Maybe he ran into trouble and had to take an alternate route?" Nitori suggested. The sun was setting, meaning the rival gang could regroup for an easy sneak attack. "We should go, before we become sitting ducks. Sousuke's smart, he'll find a way back."

As he spoke, Nitori moved to the driver's seat and started the engine. They drove in pensive silence to the back of the old mob diner.

"Can you make it back to the station from here?" Nitori asked. He kept the keys in the ignition.

"Yeah," Rin nodded, "Listen, Ai-" he rubbed the back of his head with his hand, realizing with a jolt a pair of cuffs still dangled from that wrist.

The mobster stood in the shadows cast by the flickering streetlamp, shoulders slumped.

"Sousuke's not coming back," he whispered, so low Rin wasn't sure he heard.

"What...did you say?" The words came out detached and ragged.

"I lied about the plan! Momo was never waiting in the getaway car, while you two were chained up…"

"What did you do to Sousuke!" Rin bellowed, charging at Nitori. The redhead seized Nitori by the collar, flinging him into the wall of the diner, forearm pinned against his chest. "What did you do you bastard!"

Rin's breath came in jagged gasps, his free hand poised to beat an answer out of the mob boss. Nitori's head hung. He wouldn't make eye contact.

"They took Momo," his voice broke a little bit. "After he set up the car, the cop-killer knew I was helping you two escape, so he took Momo as collateral." Nitori looked up at Rin, wide blue eyes brimming over with tears, "they t-told me that if I didn't deliver them a cop within the hour they would kill Momo. I know you cops have your own code of honor, but so do we mobsters. We protect our own. I'm sorry."He let his head hang again.

Rin stood stunned, letting his arms drop. "So he's-"

"He's not dead, not yet. I have a plan to-"

"How could you?" Rin cried, taking the lapels of Nitori's coat into his fists.

"Because I wasn't willing to risk your life," he clenched his fists, "I didn't want any of this to happen-"

"Like hell you didn't!" Rin yelled. He jolted away from Nitori, pacing furiously in the flickering halo cast by the streetlight.

The light flickered out.

From the darkness, Nitori murmured, "I have a plan to get him out."

"This doesn't make sense!" Rin snarled, "the cop-killer is dead! I saw him get shot down right in front of me."

"I had initially thought the same, until the second wave came and you and Sousuke were captured. I was brought before the actual perpetrator. Kisumi Shinigo. Yes, the cop-killer was the man who deserted the mob several months ago, but he was just a puppet to Kisumi. Who, ironically, is the man I beat out when I took over the mob." Nitori rubbed his temples.

"Why the interest in killing Sousuke and I?"

"I'm...not sure. Kisumi, I've heard, ran the mob rather arbitrarily. His actions don't have to make sense to be dangerous." Nitori crept closer to RIn. "Will you help me and the mob free Sousuke?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" His voice was thick with hurt.

"I suppose...you don't. But we have a common purpose."

"Very well. Gather your mob. We rescue Sousuke tonight, together. And after that you'll answer for your crimes. This will be the last time I work with you." Rin kept his back turned to Nitori.

"I was right about cops having their own sense of honor. I guess I just didn't realize it was so absolute."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you condemned my best friend to death," Rin countered bitterly.

He climbed into the car, motioning Nitori to the passenger seat.

"I know it doesn't make any difference," the silver-haired mobster whispered, "but it wasn't personal." He kept his head low. Only so Rin couldn't see his tears. He didn't need to give the deputy another reason to hate him.

* * *

The moment Nitori stepped out of the car, Momo charged into him, wrapping him into a huge hug.

"You made it back boss!" His voice was muffled by Nitori's shoulder.

"I did. And now, we're breaking the sheriff out," the mob boss was emotionless.

"Are you serious? We just barely got out of there alive the last time!"

"This isn't negotiable. Momo, get in the car. We leave now. Just the three of us," Nitori nodded in Rin's direction, still brooding in the front seat.

"Him?" Momo whispered as they both climbed in the backseat.

"I owe him as much," he said flatly.

"I don't like it," Momo grumbled.

"You don't have to like it to follow orders," Nitori retorted, causing Momo to give him a concerned glance. In all their time together, Momo had never seen him so cold.

Internally, he seethed, this was Rin's doing! He had warned the deputy not to screw around with Nitori anymore, and what did he do? Just that. Rin was poisoning Nitori, and a small part of Momo hoped the rescue would come down to having a choice between the two. He knew who he would save.

They met surprisingly little resistance at the front. Momo took guard outside (to his distaste) while Nitori planned to cover for Rin while he grabbed Sousuke.

By the second level, guards crawled the warehouse grounds like ants.

"He'll be on the third floor," Nitori murmured, pointed up.

"How do you expect me to get there?" Rin hissed, referring to the guards.

"I'll cover for you, with this," he hauled a massive, two arm machine gun out from his trench coat (how had he kept it there the whole time?!) "This is the muscle. We break for the stairs-"

Nitori sensed the gunman before Rin did and instinctively shoved the deputy out of range, catching the stinging slice of a bullet. It grazed his right arm, just above his elbow.

Rin tased the gunman, turning to Nitori.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine," he growled through gritted teeth, "get the sheriff."

Rin nodded and broke for the stairs. Nitori hefted the gun, relieved he could still pull the trigger with only mild discomfort.

At the top of the stairs, Rin found Sousuke in a terrible state. The sheriff had clearly been beaten, covered in bruises and minor gashes. He slid to his knees beside him.

"Sousuke! Wake up!"

He groaned muzzly.

"Can you walk?"

Another groan.

Rin looked around him before slinging Sousuke's arm over his shoulder and lifting him arduously.

"Look who's back for more!" A voice mocked.

"Kisumi," Rin spat even before he saw the purple-eyed mobster.

"Ohoo, you're a fighter, aren't you?" He did a bow. "I know you want to take me down, don't hold back."

Meanwhile, below, Nitori's walkie rang with Momo's frantic voice.

_"Boss, I poked around outside and this whole god damn building is rigged to blow! You gotta get outta there fast!"_

_"Noted, but I'm not leaving without Rin."_

Momo made an indiscernible frustrated noise from the other end until Nitori silenced the walkie.

Rin considered setting Sousuke down and whaling this son of a bitch who threatened everyone he cared about. There wasn't time for pleasantries. Rin would afford him none. He drew his firearm, a real one.

"Though I'd love to beat you within an inch of your existence, I have more important matters. Move aside you bastard, or I swear I will blow you straight to hell."

Kisumi's eyes widened. Rin wasn't playing games. Gun still trained on him, he allowed the policemen to labor down the stairs.

Rin waited until Nitori made another diversion, sending out a spray of bullets until he was out, before regrouping.

"Rin, the building is rigged to blow," he gasped.

"What? We, we have to get out of here- now!" Despite the imminent explosion, goons still crawled all through the warehouse.

"Take Sousuke first," Nitori croaked, snapping a new round of bullets into his gun, "I'll c-cover for you." He watched Rin go over his shoulder, eyes smarting from the pain in his wounded arm.

And perhaps actual sorrow.

Rin nodded curtly, shifting his weight so Sousuke could lean more heavily on him. They made a painstaking trip down the stairs, hearing echoes of gunfire above. The building shook, hardly able to withstand more abuse.

At the base, Rin kicked down what was left of the door, dragging Sousuke who had become little more than dead weight in his condition.

"Wait here," he ordered, preparing to lean Sousuke against a stack of crates while he went back for Nitori, "I need to hurry up and get Ai-"

A tremendous explosion drowned the rest of Rin's words. All the deputy could do was turn to gaze upon the abandoned warehouse, illuminated as bright as the midday sun, with heat just as intense radiating in waves from the flames engulfing the infrastructure. Horror formed a pit in Rin's stomach. He wanted to look away - he had to look away. Maybe if he could tear his eyes from the licking flames, the debris shooting like sparks into the sky…it would cease to exist.

"AI!" Rin screamed, "AI NO! AI!" Tears had started running down his cheeks, illuminated by the inferno.

"Rin…" Sousuke croaked, "The building's gonna fall any time...we have to go…"

"NO! I'm going back in!" Rin cried.

"You can't-" Sousuke's grip tightened around Rin's shoulders, "I can't lose you." His aqua eyes were stricken.

Rin blinked, angrily wiping the tears flooding his vision.

_"...tle to sitting ducks…" The walkie at Rin's belt crackled._

_"STAGBEETLE TO SITTING DUCKS! I HAVE SHARK BAIT!" A voice broke through more clearly._

Rin tore the walkie from its clip, "What?!"

_"IT'S MOMO! I HAVE NITORI! NOW LET'S BLOW THIS POPSICLE STAND BEFORE IT BLOWS US!"_

The redhead searched wildly, the back door had been the only exit unless-

Silhouetted against the burning building, Momotarou stood atop the neighboring roof, a smaller figure slung over his shoulder, waving madly at them.

Rin's mind snapped back to the matter at hand. He slung Sousuke over his shoulder, adrenaline giving him the extra boost to carry the larger man. With mindless acuity, he found the SUV, speeding back to the station while calling paramedics simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Momo found a fire escape to climb down, slumping to the curb with Nitori leaning on his shoulder, unconscious.

Momo pulled out his phone and dialed 911.

"What is your emergency?"

"This is Momotarou Mikoshiba, I'm at the corner of 5th and Elm. Come arrest me and my boss. The burning building should be a good indication of where we are."

The operator was speechless, "is this a prank?."

"FOR GOD'S SAKE WOMAN GET YOUR FRIKING ARSE INTO GEAR MY BOSS NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION YESTERDAY!" Momo yelled into the phone.

"Ah, ah, okay-" she stammered and the line went dead.

Minutes later, two cop cars sped around the corner with four surprised officers who met absolutely no resistance.

* * *

Back at the station, Sousuke had been loaded onto a gurney, receiving fluids and first aid. Aside from being beaten pretty badly, he suffered no permanent injury. Rin too received first aid for various minor scrapes and bruises. His phone vibrated; Gou had texted him.

What the hell is going on? I just saw like ten paramedics rushing to the station!

Kou, it's fine, there are just a couple of injured criminals here we couldn't take to the hospital.

As he pressed send, the doors to the station opened for four officers, the first two ushering in a peeved looking Momo in cuffs, the third held the door for the fourth who carried a small silver-haired man limp in his arms.

"Ai!" Rin shouted, attempting to run to the mobster. He was restrained by the paramedic who insisted he'd have plenty of time to "question the perpetrators later."

The mobster was pale, eyes fluttering under closed lids. He barely moved while the paramedics hooked him up to machines monitoring his vitals and feeding him fluids. One got to work stitching up the graze-wound on his arm. Rin couldn't tear his eyes away. It killed him to see Ai so broken.

After a tense hour of care, Rin was permitted to see Sousuke. Rin hovered by the edge of his gurney, uncertain of what to say.

"You saved me again," he croaked, peeking up at the redhead through his not as swollen eye, "twice in a day, that's a record right?"

"I suppose so," Rin answered awkwardly.

"You're tired too, you should rest," Sousuke closed his eyes, "the painkiller they gave me is working wonders. Take care of yourself Rin." He held up a heavily bandaged fist for Rin to pound.

The deputy humored his friend with the fist pound, but not in regards to rest. No, Rin's own health was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Once Sousuke had fallen into a healing sleep, Rin hovered outside Nitori's gurney; set up in the interrogation room, ironically.

He peered through the window as paramedics bustled around the mobster like a flock of mothering hens.

Finally, one gave him the all-clear to come in, with express instructions to "not be too harsh on the poor boy."

Rin knelt beside Nitori, hesitantly taking the boy's hand in his, chafing his thumb against his palm. All he could think of were the horrible things he had said behind the diner, how could Nitori forgive him for his actions?

Slowly, one of those beautiful blue eyes cracked open, "Rin?"

"Yes?" The deputy leaned closer.

"Where am I?" He whispered hoarsely.

"The police station...I called in paramedics."

"Oh, I see," he smiled.

And Rin broke. Again, he cried in the most undignified way possible, tears coming hot and fast, nose dripping, gross sobbing. But dignity didn't matter; this was Ai. All at once he was apologizing, clutching his hand to his chest, begging for forgiveness, and repeating his name as many times as he could without suffocating.

"Oh Rin, I thought I'd lost you," Nitori sighed.

"But-but I should be saying that to you! If it weren't for Momo-"

"Losing you would have been worse than an actual death," he admitted.

"I was so awful to you-" Rin rambled.

"You were worried about your friend," Nitori demurred.

"Can you forgive me?"

"Look at me, Rin."

He was afraid he would break all over again if he looked, but did so anyways. Nitori's eyes were shining, slight smile gracing those pink lips. Rin couldn't resist, leaning forward to pepper Ai's face with kisses. The mob boss laughed, pure and genuine.

"Rin, please!" He protested, freeing his one hand from Rin's clutches and letting it rest on his cheek.

They were about to lean in for a real kiss when a paramedic knocked, reminding Rin she had to administer more anesthetic.

Reluctantly, Rin rose to his feet, ruffling Nitori's hair gently before exiting, giving a polite nod to the paramedic who looked pleased that her patient was no worse for the wear.

* * *

One week later…

Seven days of recovery elapsed, within four Sousuke was back on his feet, confined to desk-work but jovial and good-natured.

By the sixth day, Nitori was cleared. His arm was healing nicely, the shock impact of the explosion had left no ill effects.

Which meant business as usual. The interrogation routine. Sousuke didn't even quirk an eyebrow when Rin requested to interrogate Nitori first. He respected Rin's "obsession" enough not to refuse. Meanwhile the sheriff didn't look too happy having to start with a stir-crazy Momotarou.

Nitori sat in his interrogation seat in an oddly similar arrangement to the first time they had met. He was doing his best to look innocent.

Rin wasn't buying it. He locked the door and took a seat.

"Come to interrogate lil ol me?" All the snarkiness had returned.

"I suppose I have," Rin tossed the mobster's file onto the table, "it's a shame someone misplaced the surveillance camera tapes."

"Someone's going to be right pissed about that," he laughed, "so then, what am I looking at here? Three, four life sentences?

"Two," Rin replied.

"Lame, they could have at least humored me with three."

"You sound oddly relaxed with the prospect of indefinite incarceration," Rin folded his hands under his chin, enjoying the silver-haired mobster's theatrics.

"Eh, I'll be outta here soon enough," Nitori shrugged, propping his cuffed ankles up onto the interrogation table.

"How do you plan on that?" Rin snorted, "seems to me the charges placed against you are pretty serious."

"Eh, I'll be delivering a certain high profile cop-killer to your doorstep in a few days. Adequate collateral for Mr. Mikoshiba and myself."

"Kisumi's dead," Rin deadpanned.

"In the blast?" Nitori laughed, "ha any idiot could have seen that blast wasn't meant to kill, it was more fireworks than anything-" Rin made a face. "Oh, well, I guess you didn't notice. Kisumi's alive alright. His theatrics were only to shake you off his trail."

"Be that as it may, how do you plan to catch him when you're in here, and he's out God knows where?"

"It won't be an issue," Nitori sighed airily, "I've already got Mikoshiba on it."

"Momotaro's in the other room getting interrogated just like you," Again, the deputy wasn't convinced.

"I'm not talking about Momo, I'm talking about his brother, Seijuro. Though you'd probably only know him as the CEO of the Samezuka Tax Syndicate."

"You're kidding me," Rin gaped.

"After he found out his little brother was involved with organized crime, he wanted in. That brilliant man has been covering our tails and saving face for years."

"So when you said you worked at the Samezuka Syndicate..."

"I wasn't lying," Nitori grinned, eyes shining. "Benefits of working at a tax office is that my gang and I don't get caught up in that pesky little loophole so many other mobsters fall into: tax evasion."

"Huh," Rin shook his head, "I almost wish this was getting taped so I could debunk the city's mob boss in one fell swoop."

"Almost, but you seem to find the game we play infinitely more satisfying." He quirked an eyebrow, a wry grin breaking onto his lips.

"Exactly," Rin did a quick check to make sure the cameras were not rolling before he leaned across the table and seized Nitori by the chin. He tilted the mobster's head up, forcing him to make eye contact, red on blue, fire meeting ice. A deadly combination, but then again neither had ever preferred the safer route. Without batting an eye, Nitori closed the distance between their lips that melded instantly into a slow, deep kiss. The mobster leaned closer, making the chains of his handcuffs rattle and causing Rin to elicit a moan, much to his chagrin.

It wasn't until a knock sounded at the door did either consider pulling away.

"Are you finished in there?" Sousuke's muffled voice sounded through the door.

Reluctant as always, Rin and Nitori ended the kiss. The mobster slumped back into his chair with a sigh, eyes still squeezed shut.

Rin shoved the untouched folder with Nitori's files off to the side. "Yeah, I'm finished."

Sousuke's dark head poked into the room, "Here are the files for Mikoshiba, eat your heart out with that one." Clearly the sheriff had not had a pleasant experience interrogating the orange-haired mobster.

The deputy rose to his feet.

"I'll be back for questioning tomorrow," Rin said with half-hearted gruffness as he left.

Nitori replied with a snarky grin ,"I look forward to it."

* * *

**A few one-shots will follow once I get my writing inspiration back. This mobster/police/crime AU is just too fun.**


End file.
